Read Online Reservation Blues - Alexie Sherman by Alexie Sherman - Free Book Online
Authors: Alexie Sherman
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and
Victor passed out in the back of the van, so Chess and Checkers did
most of the work.
"So," Thomas said, "how long you two
lived out here?"
Long enough," Checkers said angrily, because she
wanted to go home.
"Don't pay her no mind," Chess said. "We've
lived here our whole lives."
"You're Flatheads, enit?" Thomas asked.
" Yeah," Chess said. "And you guys are
all Spokanes?"
"Yeah," Thomas said and struggled to say
more.
Montana filled Thomas's mind. He used to think every
Indian in the world lived in Montana. Now he had played guitar in
Montana and sang duet with a beautiful Indian woman. Chess had never
considered herself beautiful, but she liked her face well enough. She
had broken her nose in a softball game in high school, which gave her
face strange angles, and it had never looked quite right since. She
didn't believe that shit about a broken nose adding character to a
face. Instead, her broken nose made her feel like her whole life
tilted a few degrees from center. She never minded all that much,
except that her glasses were continually slipping down her nose. She
spent half of her time readjusting them. Still, she had dark, dark
eyes that seemed even darker behind her glasses. They were Indian
grandmother eyes that stayed clear and focused for generations.
" So," Thomas said again, "is Chess
your real name?"
" No."
"What' s your real name?"
" I ain't going to tell you," Chess said.
"You'd run off if you knew."
" lt can't be that bad," Thomas said.
Checkers watched, surprised that Thomas chose her
sister. Checkers usually received all the attention, but she didn't
miss it this time. Thomas Builds-the-Fire looked especially goofy as
he stumbled his way through the first stages of courtship. They
finished all the packing, even pretended to pack Junior and Victor
into suitcases. The sisters stood with Thomas in the parking lot of
the Tipi Pole Tavern. A few stragglers shouted lewd suggestions at
Thomas, but he mostly ignored them.
"Well," Thomas said, "I hope to see
you again."
"Maybe you'll play here again," Chess said.
" Maybe," Thomas said.
Checkers sent a telepathic message to her sister: Invite him back to the house, you fool. Y ou've got him snagged.
"Listen," Chess said, "you want to
come back to our house? I've got you snagged, fool."
"You've got me what?" Thomas asked. He
didn't know what snag meant, although every other Indian on the
planet understood that particular piece of reservation vocabulary:
snag was noun and verb. A snag was a potential lover or the pursuit
of a lover. Snagged meant you"d caught your new lover.
" I meant, " Chess corrected herself, "that
you must be all dragged out. Why don't you come back to the house?"
"What about them?" Thomas asked of Junior
and Victor.
"They can sleep in the van," Checkers said.
Thomas thought about the offer, but he felt a little
shy and knew that Victor and Junior might be pissed if they woke up
in the sisters' yard. Though they always pretended to be the toughest
Indian men in the world, they suffered terrible bouts of homesickness
as soon as they crossed the Spokane Indian Reservation border.
"I don't know," Thomas said. "We
should probably head back."
"Kind of crazy, enit?" Chess asked. "What
if you fall asleep driving?"
" Well," Thomas said. "I'll stay for a
little while. Maybe drink some coffee. How does that sound?"
" Sounds good enough."
Chess and Checkers jumped into the van with Thomas
and directed him to their little HUD house on the reservation. All
the lights burned brightly.
'"You live with your parents?" Thomas
asked.
"No," Chess and Checkers said.
"Oh. I was just wondering about the lights."
"We leave them on," Chess said. "Just
in case."
In case of what? Thomas
asked in his mind but remained silent.
"Our parents are gone," Checkers said.
The trio walked into the house, left Victor and
Junior in the car, and sat down to coffee at the kitchen table.
Checkers emptied her cup quickly and said good night but left
Victor passed out in the back of the van, so Chess and Checkers did
most of the work.
"So," Thomas said, "how long you two
lived out here?"
Long enough," Checkers said angrily, because she
wanted to go home.
"Don't pay her no mind," Chess said. "We've
lived here our whole lives."
"You're Flatheads, enit?" Thomas asked.
" Yeah," Chess said. "And you guys are
all Spokanes?"
"Yeah," Thomas said and struggled to say
more.
Montana filled Thomas's mind. He used to think every
Indian in the world lived in Montana. Now he had played guitar in
Montana and sang duet with a beautiful Indian woman. Chess had never
considered herself beautiful, but she liked her face well enough. She
had broken her nose in a softball game in high school, which gave her
face strange angles, and it had never looked quite right since. She
didn't believe that shit about a broken nose adding character to a
face. Instead, her broken nose made her feel like her whole life
tilted a few degrees from center. She never minded all that much,
except that her glasses were continually slipping down her nose. She
spent half of her time readjusting them. Still, she had dark, dark
eyes that seemed even darker behind her glasses. They were Indian
grandmother eyes that stayed clear and focused for generations.
" So," Thomas said again, "is Chess
your real name?"
" No."
"What' s your real name?"
" I ain't going to tell you," Chess said.
"You'd run off if you knew."
" lt can't be that bad," Thomas said.
Checkers watched, surprised that Thomas chose her
sister. Checkers usually received all the attention, but she didn't
miss it this time. Thomas Builds-the-Fire looked especially goofy as
he stumbled his way through the first stages of courtship. They
finished all the packing, even pretended to pack Junior and Victor
into suitcases. The sisters stood with Thomas in the parking lot of
the Tipi Pole Tavern. A few stragglers shouted lewd suggestions at
Thomas, but he mostly ignored them.
"Well," Thomas said, "I hope to see
you again."
"Maybe you'll play here again," Chess said.
" Maybe," Thomas said.
Checkers sent a telepathic message to her sister: Invite him back to the house, you fool. Y ou've got him snagged.
"Listen," Chess said, "you want to
come back to our house? I've got you snagged, fool."
"You've got me what?" Thomas asked. He
didn't know what snag meant, although every other Indian on the
planet understood that particular piece of reservation vocabulary:
snag was noun and verb. A snag was a potential lover or the pursuit
of a lover. Snagged meant you"d caught your new lover.
" I meant, " Chess corrected herself, "that
you must be all dragged out. Why don't you come back to the house?"
"What about them?" Thomas asked of Junior
and Victor.
"They can sleep in the van," Checkers said.
Thomas thought about the offer, but he felt a little
shy and knew that Victor and Junior might be pissed if they woke up
in the sisters' yard. Though they always pretended to be the toughest
Indian men in the world, they suffered terrible bouts of homesickness
as soon as they crossed the Spokane Indian Reservation border.
"I don't know," Thomas said. "We
should probably head back."
"Kind of crazy, enit?" Chess asked. "What
if you fall asleep driving?"
" Well," Thomas said. "I'll stay for a
little while. Maybe drink some coffee. How does that sound?"
" Sounds good enough."
Chess and Checkers jumped into the van with Thomas
and directed him to their little HUD house on the reservation. All
the lights burned brightly.
'"You live with your parents?" Thomas
asked.
"No," Chess and Checkers said.
"Oh. I was just wondering about the lights."
"We leave them on," Chess said. "Just
in case."
In case of what? Thomas
asked in his mind but remained silent.
"Our parents are gone," Checkers said.
The trio walked into the house, left Victor and
Junior in the car, and sat down to coffee at the kitchen table.
Checkers emptied her cup quickly and said good night but left
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